Choose objects to edit or inspect.
how Click an object. Click empty space to clear.
task Select the table, then the crate.
watch for Clicking empty space clears the selection.
in interiors Pick a wardrobe to check its size.
Practise in “Correct a mistake”Add or remove objects from the selection.
how Hold Shift and click objects to toggle them.
task Select two blocks and move them together.
watch for Forgetting to hold Shift replaces the selection.
in interiors Select all bar stools at once.
In SketchUp, Ctrl adds, Shift toggles and Ctrl+Shift subtracts (Option/Shift/Cmd on Mac).
Drag a box to select everything inside or crossing it.
how With Select, drag left→right for a Window (only objects fully inside) or right→left for a Crossing (anything touched, dashed box).
task Window-select the two stools but not the table.
watch for Left-to-right selects only fully enclosed items.
in interiors Grab a whole kitchen run at once.
Same directions and solid/dashed boxes as SketchUp.
Practise in “Create a group”Remove objects by clicking them.
how Activate, then click each object to remove.
task Erase the unwanted crate.
watch for Erasing the wrong item — undo immediately.
in interiors Clear out test furniture.
In SketchUp, Eraser removes edges; dragging over edges erases several. This app erases whole objects.
Practise in “Correct a mistake”Remove the current selection.
how Select, then press Delete.
task Delete the crate.
watch for Nothing selected means nothing deleted.
in interiors Remove a sofa option you rejected.
Practise in “Correct a mistake”Step backwards and forwards through committed changes.
how Press the shortcut or use the top-bar arrows.
task Undo a move, then redo it.
watch for A new edit after Undo clears the Redo list.
in interiors Compare a layout before and after a move.
Practise in “Correct a mistake”Temporarily remove objects from view.
how Select an object and press Hide in Entity Info. Use Edit → Unhide all to bring everything back.
task Hide the ceiling to look into the room.
watch for Hidden objects are easy to forget — unhide before exporting.
in interiors Hide a ceiling to see into a room.
Practise in “Hide and unhide”Prevent accidental edits to an object.
how Select, then Lock in Entity Info or Edit → Lock. Locked objects can't be moved, edited or erased until unlocked.
task Lock the room shell before placing furniture.
watch for Locked objects can't be moved — unlock first.
in interiors Lock the room shell while placing furniture.
SketchUp only locks groups and components; this app can lock any object.
Practise in “Create a group”Draw edges point by point.
how Click to start, click each corner (or type a length + Enter). Click the start point to close the loop into a face. Esc stops drawing.
task Draw an L-shaped room outline.
watch for Unclosed outlines don't make a face.
in interiors Trace a wall outline from a plan.
As in SketchUp, a closed loop of edges makes a face. This stage draws on the ground plane only, and open lines are not kept as loose edges yet.
Practise in “Draw a line”Draw a rectangular face on the ground plane.
how Click the first corner, move to show direction, click or type width,depth + Enter.
task Draw a 4000 × 5000 floor.
watch for Clicking the second corner instead of typing — size won't be exact.
in interiors Lay out a floor, rug or desk footprint.
This app draws on the ground plane only. SketchUp can draw rectangles on any face.
Practise in “Draw an accurate floor”Draw a rectangle at any angle.
how Click the first corner, click (or type a length) to set the first edge at any angle, then move sideways and click — or type the width + Enter.
task Draw a 1200 × 600 rug at an angle.
watch for Mixing up the angle and side length.
in interiors Angled bay window seat.
SketchUp's Rotated Rectangle can also tilt off the ground; here it stays on the ground plane.
Practise in “Rotated rectangles”Draw a circular face.
how Click the centre, move out and click — or type a radius + Enter. Type 12s first to change the segments.
task Draw a 600 mm radius table top.
watch for Too few segments make it look faceted.
in interiors Round dining table top.
SketchUp circles default to 24 segments, like here. Push/Pull makes a cylinder.
Practise in “Circles and polygons”Draw a regular polygon.
how Click the centre, then click or type a radius. Type 8s to set the number of sides (default 6).
task Draw a hexagonal planter.
watch for Confusing inscribed and circumscribed sizes.
in interiors Hexagonal tiles or planters.
SketchUp measures polygon radius to the corners (inscribed) by default; this app does the same.
Practise in “Circles and polygons”Draw curved edges.
how Press A: click the start, click the end (or type the chord), then move out for the bulge and click (or type it).
task Draw a 1200 mm arch with a 300 mm rise.
watch for Bulge set in the wrong direction.
in interiors Curved reception desk.
This is SketchUp's 2-Point Arc. The arc closes with its chord into a face you can Push/Pull.
Practise in “Draw an arch with Arc”Sketch an irregular curve.
how Press and drag on the ground to sketch. Let go back at the start point to make a face.
task Sketch an organic rug.
watch for Freehand curves create many small edges.
in interiors Organic rug outline.
SketchUp's Freehand can also leave open curves; here only closed sketches are kept, as faces.
Practise in “Freehand”Extrude a face into a solid, or change its thickness.
how Click a face, move to show direction, click or type a distance + Enter.
task Pull a floor to 150 mm.
watch for Typing before clicking the face — the distance has nothing to apply to.
in interiors Turn a floor into a slab or a footprint into a cabinet.
This app extrudes whole rectangles upwards. SketchUp Push/Pull works on any planar face.
Practise in “Create a slab”Create a parallel copy of a face's edges.
how Click a face or the top of a solid, move inwards or outwards, then click — or type a distance + Enter.
task Offset a mirror panel 60 mm inwards for its frame.
watch for Offsetting outwards when you meant inwards.
in interiors Picture frames and door architraves.
SketchUp splits the original face; this app adds the offset as a new face on the same plane that you can Push/Pull.
Practise in “Use Offset”Move objects, optionally along a locked axis.
how Click an object, move, click to place — or lock an axis with arrows and type a distance.
task Move a cabinet 1000 mm on red.
watch for Moving freely and drifting off-axis.
in interiors Shift a sofa exactly 1000 mm from the wall.
Arrow keys: → red, ← green, ↑ blue — same convention as SketchUp.
Practise in “Move an object accurately”Move a copy of an object.
how Start a Move, tap Ctrl (⌘ on Mac) — a + appears — then place the copy or type a distance + Enter.
task Copy a bedside table 2400 mm along red.
watch for Copies aren't linked — use components for repeated items.
in interiors Place a second bedside table.
SketchUp uses Ctrl (Option on Mac) to toggle copy during Move.
Practise in “Copy an object”Turn objects around a pivot.
how Click an object, then type 90, 180 or 270 + Enter — or click again to turn 90°.
task Turn an armchair 90° to face the room.
watch for Picking the pivot in the wrong place.
in interiors Angle an armchair towards a fireplace.
SketchUp rotates by any angle around any pivot using a protractor. This app rotates in 90° steps around the object's centre.
Practise in “Rotate around a pivot”Resize objects proportionally or along one axis.
how Click an object, type a factor (1.5) or red,green,blue factors (1.5,1,1) + Enter.
task Enlarge a 2000 mm rug to 3000 mm.
watch for Scaling furniture distorts real-world proportions.
in interiors Try a larger rug size.
SketchUp scales with grips and can type exact lengths. This app scales from the object's corner by factors.
Practise in “Scale accurately”Sweep a profile along a path.
how Select a small flat rectangle (the profile), pick Follow Me and click the object to run it round.
task Run a plinth moulding round a kitchen island.
watch for Profile not perpendicular to the path.
in interiors Cornices, skirting and handrails.
SketchUp sweeps any profile along any edge path; here it wraps a rectangular profile round an object's footprint.
Practise in “Follow Me: a plinth moulding”Reflect an object across an axis.
how Select, then Flip red / Flip green in Entity Info or Edit → Flip Along. It mirrors around the selection's centre.
task Mirror a desk return to the other side.
watch for Flipping along the wrong axis.
in interiors Mirror a kitchen layout.
SketchUp also flips along blue and around a chosen plane; this app mirrors along red or green.
Practise in “Flip an object”Create evenly spaced copies.
how Copy once at the spacing you want, then immediately type 3x (or x3) and Enter.
task Make four evenly spaced shelves.
watch for Typing ×5 when you need 5 gaps, not 5 items.
in interiors Chairs around a table, shelves in a unit.
SketchUp also supports /3 to divide a distance into equal gaps; this app supports multiples (3x) only.
Practise in “Evenly spaced arrays”Type exact values during an operation.
how During an operation, type numbers. Use mm, cm or m suffixes if needed.
task Type 4000,5000 for a floor.
watch for Clicking into the box first isn't needed — just type.
in interiors Every dimension on a construction drawing.
Practise in “Draw an accurate floor”Lock the pointer to corners.
how Hover near a corner; a green marker confirms the snap.
task Start a rectangle on a slab corner.
watch for Zoomed out too far — snaps overlap.
in interiors Butt a cabinet against a wall corner.
Lock to the middle of an edge.
how Hover near an edge's middle; a cyan marker confirms.
task Start a rectangle at a wall midpoint.
watch for Mistaking midpoint for endpoint.
in interiors Centre a pendant over a table.
Constrain movement to red, green or blue.
how While moving, press an arrow key. Press again to unlock.
task Move 1000 mm on red.
watch for Forgetting the lock is on.
in interiors Move furniture parallel to walls.
Practise in “Move an object accurately”Snap to faces, edges and alignments.
how Hover while drawing: green Endpoint, cyan Midpoint, red On Edge, blue On Face, black On Guide. The status bar names it.
task Start a line exactly on a floor edge.
watch for Fighting an unwanted inference — move the pointer away.
in interiors Align shelves with a cabinet top.
Practise in “Guides, inference and the Protractor”Measure distances and create guides.
how Click a start point (corners snap), then the end point. The distance shows in the Measurements box.
task Measure the gap between two cabinets.
watch for Creating a guide when you only wanted to measure.
in interiors Check circulation space.
In SketchUp, Tape Measure also creates guide lines; that part is planned here.
Practise in “Measure distances”Temporary construction lines.
how Tape (T) from an edge makes a parallel guide line; from a point it leaves a guide point. Hold Ctrl to measure without a guide. Edit → Delete Guides clears them.
task Set a guide 600 mm in from a wall.
watch for Leaving guides everywhere — delete when done.
in interiors Mark a 900 mm clearance zone.
Practise in “Guides, inference and the Protractor”Measure angles and create angled guides.
how Click the vertex, click along the baseline, then click an angle (15° snaps) or type one + Enter. It leaves an angled guide line.
task Set out a 45° wall.
watch for Placing the protractor on the wrong plane.
in interiors Set a 30° angled wall.
In SketchUp the Protractor is on the Construction toolbar; here it sits next to Tape Measure.
Practise in “Guides, inference and the Protractor”Inference for parallel/perpendicular lines.
how With Line (L), after one angled edge swing the next one round: it turns magenta at Parallel to Edge or Perpendicular to Edge.
task Draw a rotated square.
watch for Accepting a near-miss alignment.
in interiors Draw a wall parallel to an existing one.
Practise in “Parallel and perpendicular”Bundle geometry so it doesn't stick to other geometry.
how Select two or more objects, then Make Group. Clicking any part selects the whole group; Move, Rotate and Copy act on it.
task Group a table with its chairs.
watch for Drawing directly on a group's surface outside it.
in interiors Keep a sofa separate from the floor.
In SketchUp groups also stop geometry sticking together; objects here never stick, and editing inside a group (double-click) comes later.
Practise in “Create a group”Shared definitions with multiple instances.
how Select objects, then Make Component in Entity Info or Edit → Make Component…. Copy it with Move + Ctrl — every copy is an instance.
task Make a chair component and copy it around a table.
watch for Using copies instead — edits don't propagate.
in interiors Identical dining chairs.
Painting or Push/Pulling a part of one instance updates the same part in every instance, as in SketchUp.
Practise in “Components and Make Unique”Enter an object to edit its contents.
how Select a group or component and choose Edit Group/Component (Entity Info or Edit menu). Click single parts; the rest of the model fades. Esc closes it.
task Open a chair and select only its back.
watch for Editing outside the context by mistake.
in interiors Adjust a cabinet's shelf.
SketchUp also opens the context with a double-click.
Practise in “Components and Make Unique”Detach one instance from its definition.
how Select one instance and click Make Unique. Later edits only change that instance.
task Make one chair unique and give it a different seat.
watch for Making all instances unique and losing the link.
in interiors One chair with a different finish.
Practise in “Components and Make Unique”Break a group back into raw geometry.
how Select a group, then Explode. The parts become separate objects again.
task Explode the chair group to move one chair.
watch for Exploding causes sticky geometry.
in interiors Merge geometry before reshaping.
Practise in “Create a group”Control visibility categories.
how In the Outliner tray, add a tag and tick it on or off. Assign tags to selected objects in Entity Info.
task Tag the furniture and hide it to see the floor plan.
watch for Tagging raw edges — tag groups instead.
in interiors Toggle furniture vs. lighting layouts.
Tags were called Layers before SketchUp 2020.
Practise in “Tags and visibility”Tree of named groups and components.
how The Outliner tray lists every object. Click a name to select it; rename it in Entity Info.
task Rename blocks to Sofa and Rug.
watch for Leaving everything named 'Group'.
in interiors Find every lamp in a scene.
Practise in “Name objects and use Outliner”Inspect and edit an object's properties.
how Select an object; properties show in the right panel.
task Exercise coming with this tool.
watch for Editing properties of the wrong selection.
in interiors Name and check dimensions.
Apply materials to faces and objects.
how Pick a material swatch in the toolbar, then click objects. Alt + click samples a material.
task Paint the floor oak and the walls white.
watch for Painting a group vs. its faces gives different results.
in interiors Oak floor, painted walls.
This app paints whole objects (with real textures); SketchUp can also paint individual faces.
Practise in “Paint a room”Pick up a material from the model.
how With Paint Bucket active, hold Alt and click an object to pick up its material.
task Match the shelf to the cabinet.
watch for Sampling a default material.
in interiors Match a skirting to the door frame.
Practise in “Sample a material”Choose and organise materials.
how Pick a material in the Materials tray, press B and click objects. Components update every instance.
task Paint a floor oak and the walls sage.
watch for Duplicate materials with slightly different names.
in interiors Build a project palette.
Practise in “Paint a room”Set real-world texture size.
how Select a textured object; set Texture size (mm per tile) in Entity Info and press Enter. Range 50 mm – 10 m.
task Set oak boards to a 1200 mm tile.
watch for Tiles look huge because the scale is wrong.
in interiors Correct tile size.
SketchUp sets this in the Materials Edit tab; here it's per object.
Practise in “Texture scale and rotation”Align texture direction.
how Select a textured object; Rotate texture 90° turns it, the arrow buttons shift it a quarter tile along red or green.
task Run floorboards along the room and line one up with the door.
watch for Timber grain running the wrong way.
in interiors Run floorboards along the room.
SketchUp uses Texture → Position with pins; this app offers 90° turns and quarter-tile shifts.
Practise in “Texture scale and rotation”Cut through the model.
how Pick Section Plane and click in the model to cut horizontally at 1200 mm, or type a height + Enter. Everything above the cut is hidden.
task Cut the room at 1200 mm to make a floor plan.
watch for Section facing the wrong way.
in interiors Show a wall build-up.
SketchUp places sections on any face at any angle; this app cuts horizontally only.
Practise in “Create a section”Toggle section cuts and planes.
how View → Section Planes shows or hides the orange plane; View → Section Cuts turns the cut on or off.
task Hide the plane but keep the cut.
watch for Exporting with section planes visible.
in interiors Hide planes for clean images.
Practise in “Create a section”Add measured annotations.
how Pick Dimensions, click two points (corners snap). The measured length is placed between them.
task Dimension the room width.
watch for Dimensioning to the wrong snap.
in interiors Dimension a kitchen layout.
SketchUp lets you drag the dimension out to an offset; here it sits on the measured line.
Practise in “Dimensions and labels”Add notes with leaders.
how Pick Text, click an object or point, type the label and press OK. Clicking an object suggests its name.
task Label the sofa material.
watch for Labels that clutter the view.
in interiors Label materials on a board.
SketchUp types text in place; this app asks in a small box.
Practise in “Dimensions and labels”Save camera and view settings.
how In Outliner → Scenes, press + Add scene to save the camera. Click a scene to return to it.
task Save a plan view and a perspective view.
watch for Updating the wrong scene.
in interiors Plan, elevation and interior views.
SketchUp scenes appear as tabs above the model and also store styles and hidden objects; here they store the camera and projection.
Practise in “Scenes and shadows”Sun-based shadows.
how View → Shadows turns sun shadows on or off.
task Turn on shadows to check how furniture sits.
watch for Wrong geographic location.
in interiors Daylight studies.
SketchUp sets sun position by date, time and location; here the sun is fixed.
Practise in “Scenes and shadows”Control how edges are drawn.
how View → Edge Style: Edges turns edges on or off; View → Face Style: X-ray makes faces see-through.
task Use X-ray to see the pipe behind a wall.
watch for Heavy edges overpowering materials.
in interiors Clean presentation linework.
SketchUp also has profiles, sketchy edges and hidden-line styles; only Edges and X-ray are here.
Practise in “Tags and visibility”Show front and back faces.
how View → Face Orientation (Monochrome) shows front faces white and back faces blue-grey. Select a blue-grey object and click Reverse Faces.
task Find and fix an inside-out cabinet.
watch for Ignoring reversed faces.
in interiors Fix faces before rendering.
Practise in “Front and back faces”